FERGUS – The Fergus Agricultural Society volunteers recently gathered to celebrate a $15,600 Seed grant from the provincial government’s Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF).
The grant enabled the organization to host a new Agriculture Education Day for local grade five students at the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex.
“Agriculture is an essential part of our way of life. It is so important to remind everyone that food doesn’t just appear in our grocery stores but there is a large and elaborate industry that makes this possible. I am excited to see the Fergus Agricultural Society move forward with their first Agriculture Education Day thanks to the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation,” said Joseph Racinsky, MPP for Wellington—Halton Hills.
The ag society says the grant was used to hire an educational consultant and project coordinator to research existing educational programs and resources and plan a new Agriculture Education Day. The funds also covered expenses such as site rental and event supplies so the field trip was available at no cost to the schools.
Nearly 340 students from nine local schools participated in the event, which featured 25 learning stations about farm animals, crops, equipment and technology. Discussions and hands-on activities at each station were led by volunteers from the local agriculture industry.
“Showcasing local food and farming to students and teachers in this format is a dream come true,” said Rebecca Hannam, Fergus Agricultural Society director. “We greatly appreciate the OTF funding this project so participants could come and learn about agriculture in a fun way. Now that we have a program developed and have hosted a pilot day that we can evaluate and learn from, I’m hopeful there is a way to make this an annual event.”
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Ontario government with a mission to build healthy and vibrant communities across the province. Last year, OTF invested nearly $105M into 732 community projects and multi-sector partnerships.
